Inuyasha
by LyraPendragon13
Summary: It's Inuyasha! But this time around, Kagome is more understanding and gentle.
1. The Bone Eaters Well -1-

Hi everyone, this is my first Inuyasha fanfic. Was anyone else dissatisfied with Kagome's behavior towards Inuyasha? Well here is a gentler more understanding Kagome. Lets see how quickly Inuyasha warms up to her. I hope you enjoy!

The shrine seemed to wheeze as if releasing a pent up breath. It was dark. Kagome did not like the dark, but the cat was in here and her little brother would not rest easy until she had found him.

"Come on Souta," she said derisively. "You're the one who let him in here, you should come help me find him." Really she was talking to hear the sound of her own voice instead of the oppressive silence of the place.

"But," he stuttered, unable to find an appropriate excuse that would save him from entering the shrine but also allow him to save face.

Kagome shook her head, a weak smile breaking through her nervousness. Souta, he was twelve, and a boy. He should have at least as much courage as she did, if not more. She was at the edge of the old well now. It was a large square shaft going straight down into darkness. It was a drop of about sixteen feet, but she could not see the bottom in the gloom.

"Eeeeiee!" she squeaked as something furry brushed against her leg. It was the cat, she realized, feeling silly. There was nothing else inside the shrine besides herself and Buyo. Souta was still inside the doorway. He was pointing at her and laughing, albeit nervously.

Kagome bent and scooped up the miscreant feline, vexation burning away her apprehension. The cat purred infuriatingly and rubbed his head against her shoulder.

"Why don't you come down here Souta, if you think this is so funny!" she taunted.

He stopped laughing alright, abruptly. But he continued to point, his pale face going white.

"Uh Sis?" he said, a different brand of fear in his voice turned her blood to ice. "Behind you!"

She started to turn and back away, but four white arms caught her from behind and held her with impossible strength. A scream tore itself from her throat as she felt herself being dragged backwards over the wooden edge of the well and into darkness.

Kagome struggled wildly and managed to free herself for a moment, but a strange being came into view. She could see it because it seemed to glow with its own inner light. It was like a huge centipede with two sets of human arms and a human head. She had black dirty lank hair that might actually have been beautiful if it had been clean.

"Ahhhh," she said sibilantly. "I can feel the power! My flesh is restored!"

The crazed centipede lady leaned in for a bite, but Kagome flung out her hand in fear and shouted, "No!"

There was a bright light, the centipede screeched in pain and suddenly there was darkness.

Kagome had the sensation of waking up. She was in the bottom of the well. Her hand encountered something round long and woody. A little screech sounded in her throat as she correctly identified it as bone.

"Since when are there bones down here!?" she exclaimed. "Souta! Go get Grampa!"

There was no answer. Kagome got to her feet and looked up, her brother's name died on her lips. Far above her head was a square of blue sky. She was no longer in the shrine.

"Souta! Grampa! Mom! Anybody!"

Silence.

Well, she could not just stay down there. The walls of the well was rough stone, there were plenty of hand and footholds, so she climbed up and out. She found herself in the middle of a forest. The well was surrounded by a fairly large clearing.

"What?!" she shouted. "Where am I?"

She sat down on the edge of the well and gazed around in shock. This was not... Hunger drove her along the deer path that lead into the trees. She had been walking for some time when something red caught her eyes. It was a person.

"Hey!" she shouted, but then pulled up short. He was dressed entirely in red. But his eyes were closed and he was slumped. His left shoulder was pinned to the tree behind him by an arrow. He had long silvery hair. With a start, she noticed a pair of dog ears of the same color right on the top of his head. The tree had grown around him and it almost looked like it was cradling him. Was he dead? She reached out a hesitant hand and touched his face. He stirred and she jumped back. Not dead. But he was not waking. How long had he been there? Long enough for the tree to account for his presence apparently. How was this possible? That arrow must hurt!

Kagome reached out and placed a gentle hand on it. He raised his head and made a small sound of pain in his throat. Suddenly there was a sound like three angry wasps and then three more arrows stood out of the tree bark around his head.

"Ah!" she shouted turning. Her hand released the arrow and the boy slumped forward again.

"Get away from it!" somebody shouted.

Kagome found herself bound hand and foot on a rush mat in the middle of a feudal farm village. People saw her and reacted like they had seen a ghost.

Some one walked past, closer than the others dared. "Demon!" he spat. "How dare you impersonate the Lady Kikyo."

Suddenly she was aware of that name on everyone's lips.

"I'm not a demon!" Kagome protested. "I'm not trying to impersonate anyone! My name is Kagome! I keep telling you!"

At last, an old lady who looked like she had some authority approached her. She was old and built like an ox. A worn leather eye-patch hid one of her eyes, or perhaps the lack of it.

"Lady Kaede, some one shouted. "Are you going to kill the demon?"

The lady stopped in front of Kagome and glared down at her, but there was no anger. The lady knelt down and examined her closely.

"She's no demon," Kaede said almost contemptuously.

Kagome struggled briefly against her ropes, "That's right!" she said enthusiastically. At last, she was getting through to them.

Kaede drew a knife from her belt and sent a bolt of fear up the girl's spine, but she merely began cutting the ropes. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"You have nothing to fear child," Kaede reassured her as the bindings fell away. "But what were you doing inside Inuyasha's forest?"

Kagome told her story as she understood it from beginning to end as Kaede escorted her to a small, run down house. She asked no questions until the narrative was over.

"From our future, huh? I've seen many strange things, heard wild stories, but never have I heard anything like this," Kaede said with a head shake. "I might need a little proof. No wonder they thought you a demon, though. You came out of the bone eater's well."

Kagome felt a little appalled. "Is that why there are so many bones at the bottom of it? There aren't any in my time."

Kaede nodded, "Yes, the bones are the remains of several demons that were killed and thrown down there."

Kagome scrubbed her hands on her skirt uncomfortably. "Did the centipede demon also come from there?"

Kaede frowned, "She was killed long ago, fifty some years ago if my theory is correct. Her bones were indeed thrown into that well."

"But then how could that be, if she was dead?" Kagome asked with horror.

Kaede's frown deepened, "I have one theory that pleases me not, but again, I need proof."

Oh, well that was a wonderful answer, optimistic and informative. Just what she wanted. She crossed her arms in annoyance to let Kaede know that she was not pleased. Not at all. But if she had expected to stare the old woman down, she was disappointed.

"If this all comes to naught, perhaps I'll tell you the story, but for now, I don't want you straying out of the village," Kaede informed her.

Kagome sighed, she wasn't known for her penetrating stare.

A few hours later, after eating a delicious savory stew that Kaede had cooked up, Kagome quietly slipped away for a moment to think. She had been gone for who knows how long? Most of the day for sure. Her family must be worried sick by now. She had walked to the base of the hill where she knew, some time in the future her house would stand. Then Kaede's warning came back to her, as much as she would have liked to head up to the well and see it again, she turned back to head further into the populated area.

That is when all hell seemed to break loose. There was an explosion, but less thunder and more of the sound of wood timbers splintering and breaking.

"I must have it!" came a terrible cry. "I must have the jewel!"

Kagome looked in the direction of the sound and gasped, cold fear stopping her dead in her tracks. It was the centipede demon, and it had just torn a house off its foundation. And then, it saw her.

"The jewel!" it shouted triumphantly, then it charged her.

Kagome shrieked in fear and began running for all she was worth, she had taken off, going in the opposite direction of the monster, which was up the hill towards the well and the forest. It followed her leaving a broad path of destruction in its wake. The thing seemed to destroy anything it touched. Kagome was up the hill by the time the demon reached its base and she knew that unless it was destroyed or she managed to get some place it could not reach, it would catch her. She ran headlong into the forest, the demon crashing into trees behind her, slowed but not by much.

That is when she chanced to look back and immediately paid the price of taking her eyes off of the ground at her feet. Her foot was caught by an exposed tree root and down she went.

"Huh," said a sarcastic voice. "What's the matter Kikyo? Why don't you finish it off like you finished me?"

Kagome looked up in surprise and saw him again, the boy with silver hair and dog ears, pinned to a tree by an arrow through his left shoulder. His question startled her. "What?!"

"You look pretty dumb there Kikyo!" he taunted.

Then the centipede caught up with her. She screamed as its coils slammed into her and pinned her against the boy. He looked at her in sudden confusion and some of the malice melted out of his features revealing the pain he was in.

"Wait, you're not Kikyo," he said. "Who are you?"

"I don't think we have time for this!" she shouted.

The centipede's head appeared suddenly. "Haaahhhh," it hissed. "It's the half-demon Inuyasha. Still pinned to the tree by the sacred arrow after all these years."

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked looking at him again. "Half-demon?"

"Yeah? So, what of it?" he challenged. "Come to kick the lion while he's down? Coward!"

The centipede laughter was like a nest of hissing snakes. "Thinking of tricking me into setting you free? I know better. I will kill you while you are helpless and not take the risk."

Its coils tightened and Kagome whimpered in fear.

"Yeah, if I wasn't pinned here, I could shred you with my bare claws!" He looked down at Kagome. "Girl, pull the arrow out and I'll kill this upstart."

Kagome glanced at the centipede then back at Inuyasha and made her choice. She reached for the arrow shaft. The centipede's coils tightened abruptly.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you girl," the centipede said. "Once he's freed, he may just turn those claws on you."

"Ahh!" she cried and with a titanic effort at last caught the arrow shaft in her hand. "Yeah, but I'd much rather die by his claws then get eaten by you!" With that, she pulled on the arrow.

Inuyasha cried out in pain as it came loose with a spray of blood. The half-demon crumpled. Kagome looked at him in consternation. That wasn't what she had expected.

"Fool girl!" the centipede screeched. "You've doomed us all." It recoiled away from the tree, and Kagome was tossed into the air with the violence of the movement. "I must have the jewel!" It shouted before it struck her, sinking needle like teeth into her side.

"Aaaahhh!" she cried as a burning pain erupted in her side and her blood ran. The demon tossed her aside and as she fell Kagome saw a perfectly round, light pink gem stone fall from her body. She hit the ground and lie still, stunned and in pain.

The demon cackled and swallowed the gem, instantly her visage was changed and she became even more terrible to the eye, her skin turned gray and her eyes glowed red in the night.

"HAHAHAH!" she cackled triumphantly. "Now not even Inuyasha can stop me!"

"Just who do you think you're kidding?" the half-demon asked contemptuously.

Kagome looked at him in surprise. "Inuyasha!"

There he was, standing proud despite the quantity of blood coating the left side of his red suikan, but his golden eyes flared with confidence. "You aren't even worth my time, but you have the shikon jewel, and I'll be taking that back now."

He suddenly leaped at the demon and slashed it to pieces with one swipe of his claws. The centipede screeched and fell to the ground in chunks.

"Pathetic."

By then an attack group from the village had arrived with Lady Kaede at the lead. "Kagome," she shouted. "You must find that jewel and remove it before the demon reforms!"

"Its still alive?" she exclaimed in alarm. She pushed herself up wincing and looked around frantically. Suddenly she knew where it was.

"As long as it has possession of that gem, it will survive," Kaede warned.

Kagome got to her feet and walked shakily over to a steaming lump of flesh that was bigger than the rest. It reeked and there was blood. Her stomach did a flip but suddenly there was a light and she knew it was the gem glowing in response to her presence.

"Has anyone got a knife?" she asked.

Kaede rushed towards her with a speed belied by her size. She had a long knife in her hand and she used it to cut into the demon flesh exposing the jewel.

"Take hold of it Kagome," Kaede said. "Quickly now!"

Kagome swallowed down her disgust and grabbed the gem. Instantly the demon flesh dried up and turned into a black powder that blew away in the wind leaving white bones behind. Kaede sighed and stood up straight to face Inuyasha. They locked eyes for an instant, but he transferred his attention to the stone. His look was hungry and Kagome took a wary step back, but then she realized something important and looked down at his suikan. There was a significant blood stain where the arrow had pierced him.

"Inuyasha," she said. "You're hurt!"

Inuyasha's look changed to one of astonishment as he looked at her but it was quickly hidden by contempt. "This is nothing," he spat. "Why are you so concerned about me anyway?"

"You had an arrow through your left shoulder!" Kagome countered. "And now you're bleeding! Besides, you just saved our lives, the least I can do is worry about all that blood."

That look of surprise flashed through his golden eyes again, but was replaced by anger as he stepped forward menacingly. "Don'tcha think you should be more worried about yourself?"

The men suddenly started speaking in quiet murmurs all at once. Kagome heard the words Inuyasha and Kikyo several times. Kaede moved slowly and placed herself between Kagome and Inuyasha, gaining the half-demon's attention. She was holding a bow that she had taken from one of the men, there was an arrow nocked to the string.

"Hey!" Inuyasha shouted at her, "Just what do you think you're doing? This doesn't even have anything to do with you. Who are you, anyway?"

Kaede gave him a frustrated glare, this look had more venom in it and Kagome was surprised. Kaede hated this guy, Inuyasha.

"You don't recognize me then Inuyasha?" she said, her tone more harsh than she'd ever heard it before. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, it's been fifty years since that day. Its me, Kaede, Kikyo's little sister. I've grown old."

Inuyasha's ears twitched at her words and a look passed through his eyes too quickly for Kagome to follow. "Oh, so you're that brat! Well, I'm after the sacred jewel, so get outa my way."

"Pay no heed to him, Kagome," Kaede warned.

Kagome took a step back realizing that Inuyasha now presented more danger than the centipede had. That's right, he only promised he would kill the centipede, and nothing else beyond that.

"I will have that gem!" he shouted.

Oh and that didn't sound familiar at all. Kagome looked down at the sparkly pink bauble in her hand. "What is with this thing?!" She could not let Inuyasha get it either, Kagome turned and ran for it.

"Hey!" came his indignant shout from behind her. "Get back here!"

Kagome ignored him and kept running hoping he was not nearly as fast as the centipede had been. A streak of red and silver rushed past her like she was standing still and suddenly Inuyasha was there, cutting her off.

"You can't run away from me!"

Oh, he's a lot faster. She turned at once and began running the other way.

"You're starting to annoy- Hey! What the!?"

That last protest was not about her, Kagome realized. She glanced back over her shoulder to see a gleaming bead necklace settle over the half-demon's head, and once again tripped over a protruding root. She hit the ground hard and she sobbed from the lancing pain in her side. "Oww!"

She saw Kaede running towards her. "Quick girl!" she shouted. "The word of subjugation!"

Kagome's mind raced, "What word?"

"Any will do!" Kaede shouted back. "It is your word of choice that will seal him!"

"Play time's over!" Inuyasha shouted.

Kagome rolled over onto her back and saw him leap for her, claws at the ready. It was the look in his eyes that really had her paralyzed. Those golden eyes were filled with pain and regret. 'Did he really want to be doing this?' she thought, and then she saw his ears and said the first thing that popped into her head. "Inuyasha!" she shouted. "Sit, boy!"

Mid leap, the necklace glowed white and suddenly he hit the ground face first.

"What the?!" he exclaimed, pushing himself up out of the dirt, he sat and pulled on the beads, trying to remove them from his person, but no matter what strength he used, the beads would not move past the tips of his ears. "What the hell is this thing!?"

Kaede came to stand protectively over Kagome. "I'm sorry Inuyasha," she said not looking very sorry at all. "I knew somehow that it would come to this and I spent years building that enchantment. With Kagome's word to seal it, it may never come off, ever."

"You old hag!" he raged.

Kagome stared at him shocked that he could say such a thing.

"The word, please," Kaede requested lightly.

"The word?" Kagome said glancing up at her. "Oh, right. Inuyasha, sit!"

A look of surprise registered on his face as the necklace glowed and then he executed a perfect face plant. He lay there growling and shredding the soil with his claws as he understood now what the word "sit" would mean to him from that day on. Kagome suddenly regretted her second use of the word and silently vowed to use it only when she had to.

Kaede watched him writhe for a bit, an evil glint in her old eyes, then knelt and placed gentle hands on Kagome's shoulders. "You're hurt my dear?" she asked.

Kagome nodded surrendering now to the burning pulsing pain in her side. Tears sprang to her eyes. "Yeah, the centipede got me pretty good."

Inuyasha stilled suddenly and raised his head regarding her with his unreadable golden stare.

"I see that," Kaede said. "Can you walk?"

"I think so," Kagome said and struggled to her feet, She gasped and hunched over the wound. The last thing she wanted to do was stand up straight, let alone walk all the way back to the village.

Inuyasha stood up, dusting off his red clothes. "Come on Kaede," he said with a snort of contempt. "You're going to make her walk all that way with a wound like that? I could do that any day, no problem. But I'm a demon. You humans aren't that tough."

Inuyasha walked over to her and scooped her up off the ground, settling her in his arms.

"Inuyasha," Kaede growled warningly.

"Feh!" he scoffed. "You think I'm going to try anything after _that?_ When all she has to do to put me on the ground is say _that_ word?"

"You mean..."

Inuyasha looked at Kaede with a mixture of abject terror and venomous hatred.

"Sit?"

Kagome watched the necklace nervously as it glowed in response to the word, but the half-demon remained standing and she, un-squashed.

Inuyasha shot a brief growl at her and turned away.

"You do not have to fear falling down if anyone else were to say it," Kaede explained, sounding somewhat disappointed. "Only Kagome has that power."

"Oh, good thanks for the warning you-!"

"Inuyasha..." Kagome said almost coyly.

"Oh dammit! Don't say it!" he protested loudly. "I could drop you, you know!"

"Sorry, no I wont say it," she said. "Its just not nice to call people names."

"What do you care?" ha demanded coarsely. "You're not my mother, so back off!"

"Demons have mothers?" Kagome asked in a tone of fascination.

"Yeah so what? You're really nosy, you know that?!"

Kaede shook her head as the sounds of their rambling argument trailed off ahead of her. The girl had spirit, it was undeniable, but she completely lacked Kikyo's wariness. They looked so alike it was heartbreaking. Kagome had the same thick black hair and kind dark eyes. They also shared the same mannerism of putting their hands on their hips when they were annoyed... It was like her older sister had come back to her just as she was fifty years ago, and yet, Kagome had far more spirit somehow. Kaede felt an old love stirring in her dried out heart. Or perhaps was this new?


	2. Seekers of the Jewel -2-

Hah, I Keep forgetting the disclaimer. I'm gonna get myself in trouble if I keep this up, heheh. Oh well. In anycase, I apologize for my air-headed ways, and here is the disclaimer. I do not own Inuyasha. For all of you following me this far, thank you for your support, reviews are always welcome, and I hope you enjoy!

Kaede shook her head as the sounds of their rambling argument trailed off ahead of her. The girl had spirit, it was undeniable, but she completely lacked Kikyo's wariness. They looked so alike it was heartbreaking. Kagome had the same thick black hair and kind dark eyes. They also shared the same mannerism of putting their hands on their hips when they were annoyed... It was like her older sister had come back to her just as she was fifty years ago, and yet, Kagome had far more spirit somehow. Kaede felt an old love stirring in her dried out heart. Or perhaps was this new?

The two were sitting across Kaede's hearth when she finally got her old creaking bones into the house. It seemed their argument had run dry. Kaede shook her head and went to work treating the little girl's wound. It was not that bad despite how deep it was. That probably had everything to do with the stone and how long it had rested there inside of her.

"Feeling better?" Kaede asked as she wound the bandages around the girl.

Kagome nodded but her teeth were still clenched tight. Yes, Kikyo had also been that brave. Kaede shook her head, the last thing she needed to do was compare this girl to her older sister note by note. It would not do either of them any good.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said quietly. "You're hurt too."

His silver ears gave a little twitch and he looked away from her. "I told you its nothing," he said gruffly. "Why ARE you concerned anyway?"

Kagome couldn't help looking at him slightly aghast. "I already told you!" she exclaimed. "You had an arrow through your shoulder, pinning you to the tree behind you! And now I find out that you were hanging from it for fifty years! That has to have hurt! You think I'm gonna sit here doing nothing while you're bleeding and in pain?"

That look of surprise was on his face again, but this time it stayed. "Why do you care?" he asked. His tone was defensive, but there was an underlying darkness that Kagome could not quite identify. It was almost like he _expected_ her to not care.

"Why wouldn't I care?" she asked him gently.

"Save your breath," Kaede suddenly interrupted. "The Inuyasha I knew fifty years ago was vicious and intractable. There is no reason that could possibly have changed."

Kagome watched a look of hurt flicker through those golden eyes, but he turned away and stayed silent.

"Don't you think that's a little harsh?" Kagome asked quietly, but Kaede's features remained set and she received no answer. Perhaps a subject change was due.

"So," she said slowly. "Can you tell me what's going on here? With the sacred jewel? How did it get inside me?"

Kaede sighed and cast a glance at the half-demon who leaned forward, suddenly interested.

"Yeah," he said. "And where's Kikyo got to, anyway? Sheesh, she must be pushing a hundred by now. I'm glad I don't gotta worry about old age, at least, not for a verry long time."

Kagome watched Kaede's face gain a very bitter look. "No, Kikyo has not had to worry about that either," she said. "She died that day. Sealing you to that tree was her very last act."

Inuyasha's ears twitched and a look passed across his golden eyes again that Kagome did not quite catch. The news had effected him deeply, but she could not tell if it was grief, or something else. Kaede did not seem to notice.

"Is that so?" Inuyasha said.

His words hung in an atmosphere of grief tainted by the bitterness of a fifty year old grudge that was beginning to wake up.

"Does this have anything to do with the sacred jewel?" Kagome asked nervously. Her light voice almost seemed drowned out by the currents of bitterness in the room.

"That cursed gem was the center of the whole conflict," Kaede said, her voice hard. "Inuyasha wanted it for himself."

Kagome glanced at the half-demon, "But why? You're already so powerful."

Inuyasha sat up and punched his fist through the floor.

"Ah, but you forget," Kaede said almost mockingly. "He's only half-demon. That jewel has the power to make him all demon."

Inuyasha stood abruptly, "I'm getting tired of listening to this," he announced. "I was there, I know exactly what happened." He stalked outside under Kaede's malevolent glare.

"He attacked this village to take the shikon gem and Kikyo was killed in that fight," Kaede said. "Kikyo requested that the gem be burned with her. And after it was gone I thought that would be the end of it, but now, after these fifty years, it has returned..."

Kagome's hand went to the gem that now hung around her neck on a silver chain. It was her coming here that had caused all this. It was all her fault, if she had just...

"Don't blame yourself, Kagome," Kaede said abruptly. "You had no control over what happened."

"No," she said beginning to tear up again. "I guess not."

Kaede scooted over and put her arms around the girl.

Kagome lie awake that night worrying about Inuyasha. Visions of his bloodied shoulder and pained expression dancing before her eyes. Kaede had not once offered to treat him. She sighed and turned onto her side. No wonder he didn't trust anybody. Everyone in the village seemed to have it out for him. Was that why he felt the need to take what he wanted by force? She turned over again with a quiet sigh and admitted to herself that she was not sleeping tonight.

Kagome pushed the covers aside and got up. Maybe Inuyasha was nearby. She wanted to talk to him without Kaede's bitterness influencing the atmosphere.

She quietly pushed past the bamboo screen and out onto the street.

"What are you doing out here?" Inuyasha said, startling her. "Shouldn't you be sleeping by now?"

Kagome whirled around and looked up to find him stretched out on top of the roof of Kaede's hut. "Sorry," she said. "I couldn't sleep."

The look in his eyes softened somewhat. "Its not a great night for sleep," he said quietly.

Ah, so he couldn't sleep either.

"Do you wanna talk for a bit instead?" Kagome asked him.

There was that surprised look again. "Why bother?" he grumped.

"Because Kaede interrupted our conversation," Kagome said. "I had more to say."

Inuyasha jumped down from the roof, landing crouched before her. There was an odd look in his eyes, and if Kagome was reading him correctly, it looked like hope.

"Kaede's right you know," he said defensively. "You're wasting your breath."

"Don't you think that's for me to decide?" Kagome asked him. "I'm not going to write you off just because someone else told me to."

"Well maybe you should," Inuyasha said bitterly, his eyes suddenly closing off as his defences went up. "The only thing you'll get from associating with someone like me is grief and loneliness."

He made to leap away from her, but she caught a hold of his arm.

"Please don't go," Kagome pleaded. "What do you mean someone like you?"

Inuyasha was looking back at her like she had two heads. "Don't you get it?" he asked. "I'm a half-breed! You should hate me! Feel disgust that I even exist! What have you been living under a rock this whole time?"

He pulled firmly away from her this time.

"Does the future count?" she asked quietly as he bounded off, unaware that his keen ears had picked up every word.

'What was with that girl?' Inuyasha thought furiously as he ran through the forest. Did she really not know what a social anathema he was? He leaped into the lower branches of the god tree and swung himself up into the higher branches where he found a place to lounge. His heart rate settled as he thought over his interactions with her. She had not feared him at all after the centipede's demise and had been worried about his injury. The left side of his suikan was still covered in blood and he quietly admitted to himself that he could still feel pain there, as if the ghost of that arrow was still haunting him. It really did hurt.

Even after he'd attacked her, she still didn't fear him. Was she stupid? With an attitude like that, she wouldn't last a day. Come to think of it, how had she even survived this long without him? Her last words echoed back to him then. What did she mean by future? Where did she come from anyway?

Inuyasha jumped down from the god tree and began tracking her scent. The latest and strongest trail was from Kaede's so he started there. He sorted out a couple of trails from her flight to his tree during the attack to an older one coming from the village square. She'd been left to sit there for a bit and he growled slightly when he found the remains of the rope she'd been tied with.

"Why'd they tie her up?" he murmured.

He dropped the rope and continued on, sniffing out how three men had carried her into the village from his forest? What? He traced the path back to the base of the god tree, right up to where he'd been pinned. What had she been doing there? The scent was stronger so she had clearly spent a few minutes there. He shivered at the sudden realization that he'd been pinned there, completely helpless for fifty years. How was he not dead? And this girl had just stood there looking at him. He sniffed again trying to get a better picture of what she'd been doing there when he caught the scent of his own blood.

The smell lead him straight to the arrow that had pinned him for so long. It was coated in his blood and he realized with a start that Kagome had touched it, not once, but twice. The second scent was older matching the old trail he was following. She had been about to pull out the arrow...

What stopped her? He quickly found the arrows ringing the spot where he'd been pinned. The scent on them was about as old as the trail and he realized they had belonged to the men who had dragged Kagome tied and bound into the village. If those guys hadn't been there, he might have been freed as early as this morning. She really had no idea what he was...

Still, that did not answer the question of where she'd come from. He followed her trail away from the tree, further into the forest and came to the bone eater's well. Her delicate scent was all over the rim of the well but did not go beyond it in any direction. It was almost as if she'd come straight out of the well. He bent over it and sniffed. Sure enough, there it was, her sweet smell, almost hidden by the dusty smell of bones and death. Inuyasha jumped into the well and was taken completely by surprise when a strange power came to life around him. When it faded, he was completely disoriented. The smell of the forest was gone, replaced by aged wood and something foul. But Kagome's scent was still there. He hopped out of the well and was astonished to find himself inside a building. Kagome's scent trailed away from the well on this side, up the stairs to the door. He crept up to the window and looked out on a different world.

Inuyasha left the well house and decided to explore. He did a brief loop, staying out of sight by leaping from rooftop to rooftop, and he quickly realized something peculiar about this place. There wasn't a single demon around for miles, not one. Could it be that Kagome really had never seen a demon before, let alone a half demon? That would explain a lot. He turned and headed back to the well house, shutting the door behind him before making the jump back to his own world. What kind of people would live there, anyway? The place reeked.

The next day Kagome dressed in the clothes of a shrine maiden with a white blouse and red breaches. She stepped out and instantly she heard several people say, "Kikyo!" She felt like shouting at them. She was not Kikyo even if she was a reincarnation as Kaede had suggested last evening. She was Kagome and if they wanted Kikyo she could not give her to them, no matter what. Everybody just loved Kikyo, but did anybody even see Kagome? No, she supposed not.

Then Inuyasha saw her. The look in his golden eyes... It troubled him greatly seeing her that way. He looked... sad.

"Hey," she said. "What's wrong?"

"Go put your old clothes back on, get out of that shrine crap!" he almost shouted. "And I hate your smell!"

He turned and ran off back in the direction whence he'd come.

"Uhh," Kagome said completely flabbergasted. She was unsure whether to be insulted or not. "What was _that_ about?"

Kaede came out of the house behind her, pushing aside the rush screen. "Demons can be unpredictable, and Inuyasha is no exception. Give it time, he might just warm up to you."

There was something in the way Kaede spoke that made Kagome turn and look at her. The old woman had a thoughtful look on her face the traces of grief were there and Kagome knew she was thinking of Kikyo now too.

Alright, she was sorry about whatever had happened so long ago, but they could not look at her without seeing Kikyo and it was starting to hurt her feelings, she had to get out of here. Kagome headed for the forest where she had first come to this place. Perhaps the well was the key. She had the strangest sensation as she walked along towards the hill top where the ancient oak stood and the well nearby. There were no buildings or streets but the shape of the land was the same, and she began to see in her mind's eye where the buildings would be. It was strange to realize that her home would probably be built eighty years in the future from her current point in time.

She was on the hilltop walking along the forest path under the tall trees when they jumped her.

"Kagome!" Kaede called when she realized the girl had slipped quietly away. "Kagome! Oh drat it! Where has that child got to?"

She spotted Inuyasha lounging in the top branches of a tree and shook her head. The last thing she wanted to do was ask _him_ for help, but he was fast.

"Inuyasha!" she shouted, keeping any bitterness our of her tone. "Kagome has strayed out of the village. Could you look for her?"

The half-demon looked down at her annoyance written across his face. "She has? What's she thinking?! Stupid girl!"

He was out of the tree in a couple of bounds.

"Now, don't be too hard on her," Kaede told him. "She's probably missing her family."

Inuyasha tossed his head in the air and sniffed several times. "That'll be the least of her problems if a demon finds her. Oh dammit! She took the sacred jewel with her!"

He was off like a shot before Kaede could say anything else.

"Hey, we got the girl as you asked, boss! And boy ain't she a looker!"

Kagome struggled under the weight of a brigand. "Let me go!"

"Can we have her when you're done with her?"

At this question, Kagome gave a frightened yelp and managed to roll out from under his hand. She stood and backed against the wall of the run down building they had brought her to.

A large figure moved from a dark corner, the brigands hesitated and turned towards him. The man lumbered drunkenly into the light and some of them backed away in fear, a look of confusion on their faces. Two of the braver toadies grabbed her arms and held her still for inspection.

"Hey boss, is... anything wrong?"

The man didn't answer. He stared at Kagome, or maybe a little past her, with dead eyes. Then he drew his sword and slashed it through the man on her left. Suddenly all hell broke loose. The brigands scattered. Kagome stood there for a second, frozen in shock at the sudden death. The boss raised his sword for another swing and finally she returned to her senses. She dodged between his legs and ran for the entrance, but he got there first and cut down a support pillar. The roof collapsed blocking her way. She changed directions abruptly.

"Sacred jewel!" it shouted.

Kagome's hand flew to the round stone that lie beneath her shirt. "What! Again?!"

He lumbered towards her and she dodged between his legs again, this guy really was huge.

"You're boss has gone insane!" she shouted at the petty thieves. "Start trying to make us a way out of here. He's after me!"

"Yes boss!" somebody shouted.

"What?!"

The gesture distracted her just long enough for the giant to knock her off her feet. He raised his sword again and she knew it was over.

Just then, the side of the building exploded. There was a streak of red, the sword came down and abruptly broke. Inuyasha stood over her, his expression supremely annoyed.

"Would you at least tell somebody when you're gonna run off like this?" he said.

Kagome realized dimly that he was talking to her.

The brigands made a mad dash for the hole Inuyasha had put in the wall.

"Thanks boss!" they shouted on their way out.

Kagome turned on them in indignation to shout something about their courage that was not very nice when Inuyasha jumped back, pulled his sleeve over his nose and made a sound of disgust.

"Ugh!" he said.

Kagome looked at him in surprise. He backed off a step.

"This guy smells like he's been dead for a week!"

Kagome looked at the guy, and indeed, in the sunlight now streaming in through the ruptured wall, he was as pale as death and his eyes were staring and empty. "But how?" Kagome asked, horrified.

"You were dragged down a well by a demon centipede and _this_ surprises you?" Inuyasha said. He crouched into a fighting stance and held his claws at the ready.

"It wants the sacred jewel," Kagome said taking out the pink stone to look at it.

"Well duh!" he scoffed. "Every demon and his imp want that stupid rock!"

Suddenly the giant's chest plate popped loose like it had been struck from the inside. It fell off revealing the dead man's torso and the bloody hole on the left side. A black bird with three eyes poked its beak out to caw at them.

"A gore crow!" Inuyasha shouted. "They don't do any of the fighting themselves as long as there's a body to be had. It probably tore out his beating heart and made itself a bloody nest!"

"That's terrible!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Well, its time to move out!" Inuyasha said lunging for it.

The bird however was a little faster than he anticipated. It flew straight at Kagome and pecked the jewel right out of her hand. With a triumphant croak, it flew for the door.

"Hey!" Inuyasha raged. "Get back here!"

"Oh man!" Kagome said jogging after it a few steps. "It's got the sacred jewel!"

"Well don't just stand there!" the half-demon exclaimed. He slashed his claws through the pile of debris blocking their way. "Come on!"

They ran out into the sunlight and Inuyasha growled at the black silhouette of the gore crow. "Its getting away! You coming?"

He turned to see Kagome looking at a bandit's horse. There was a bow and a quiver of arrows slung over the saddle horn. She grabbed them and was going to mount the beast but he grabbed her.

"Leave it," he said slinging her onto his back. "I'm much faster than any old horse!"

Kagome squeaked in surprise as he took off. They chased the bird for a while, Inuyasha gained a lot of ground on it very quickly. Kagome had never gone so fast in her life outside of a vehicle. She nocked an arrow to the bow string and took aim.

"Take it down in one shot!" Inuyasha told her.

"We'll see," Kagome told him. She released and the arrow flew. It struck the bird in the leg which came off cleanly and fell toward the ground. Kagome already had another arrow flying towards the bird. The leg caught the arrow as they passed each other and the arrows path was altered slightly.

"Oh no!" she said as she realized what would happen a second before it did.

The arrow struck the bird in the center of its mass and exploded in a brilliant pink light.

Inuyasha came to a halt and gazed at the glittering streaks in the air in alarm. "What is that light? Don't tell me that's what I think it is!"

"I think it is!" Kagome said.

He bolted forward again, almost dislodging her. Kagome pointed to a dark shape falling towards the trees. "Look there!"

He changed directions and ran towards it. He got there and let her down off his back. "Are you sure this is where it fell?"

"Yeah, pretty sure. I feel like its around here somewhere," Kagome told him.

She was standing in the clearing, looking around, when a black blur exploded from the trees with a horrible caw. It flew straight at her and she knew it was trying to hurt her.

"Oh no you don't!" Inuyasha said, raking it with his claws.

The piece of crow turned into powder. Something pink and glittering fell to the grass and they both paused to gaze at it in horror.

"What is that?" Inuyasha asked, a look of disbelieving horror on his face.

Kagome picked it up and rolled it in her fingers. "Yep," she said quietly. "Its only a shard of the shikon jewel. Which means..."

"It broke!" Inuyasha almost screeched. "How could you let this happen!"

"I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!" Kagome said hanging her head in shame. "Its because I missed the first time. Its foot grabbed the arrow. It wouldn't have hit the gem at all if that hadn't happened."

The half-demon got his temper under control. "What the heck am I supposed to do now? I can't possibly find all the pieces of that damned gem!"

Just then Kaede approached them on horseback, her one eye wide with a sickened look of fear. "What was that light Kagome?" she asked. "Please tell me it wasn't..."

Kagome held up the shard in answer, and Kaede groaned.


	3. Down the Rabbit Hole and Back Again -3-

Hi! Sorry I haven't updated for a while. Y'all know about life and how it finds its ways to keep a person busy. My last few months have been kinda crazy. How about yours? But all pleasantries aside, here is the next chapter of my adaptation of InuYasha, which I do not actually have any rights to at all... ever. So, hope you folks enjoy!

oOoOoOo

"It broke!" Inuyasha almost screeched. "How could you let this happen!"

"I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!" Kagome said hanging her head in shame. "Its because I missed the first time. Its foot grabbed the arrow. It wouldn't have hit the gem at all if that hadn't happened."

The half-demon got his temper under control. "What the heck am I supposed to do now? I can't possibly find all the pieces of that damned gem!"

Just then Kaede approached them on horseback, her one eye wide with a sickened look of fear. "What was that light Kagome?" she asked. "Please tell me it wasn't..."

Kagome held up the shard in answer, and Kaede groaned.

She hustled them back to her hut for a kind of briefing.

"So," Kaede said as Inuyasha flopped down onto his side, once again reminding Kagome of a dog. "The jewel has been shattered. Do you have any idea what this means?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha said darkly. "Any demon that gets its filthy hands on a shard will grow in strength by at least tenfold."

"Oh," Kagome moaned. "We can't possibly find them all before that happens."

"Nor would you be able to take the shards from those demons if you tried," Kaede said. "Though you have the power to find them."

Inuyasha's head jerked up and his silvery ears pricked. "She does?"

"I do?" Kagome asked with about as much surprise.

"You already found this first shard," Kaede said indicating the glittering gem on the cloth between them. "And besides, it makes sense that she would have that power. Wouldn't you agree, Inuyasha?"

"Huh!" he said dismissively, but he did not argue.

Kagome got angry suddenly. She just knew they were talking about Kikyo again. She stood up abruptly, catching them both by surprise.

"Do I really look that much like her?" she exclaimed. "I can't be around you two for five minutes before you start talking about her again! I'm really sorry about what happened but I'm not her! I'm Kagome!"

With that, she marched outside.

Kaede shook her head. "I've made a grave mistake," she said.

"Whadiya mean?" Inuyasha asked. "What's her problem anyway?"

"That girl is clearly struggling with the fact that she is a reincarnation at all," Kaede explained. "All her life she has grown up with the fact that she is her own person, which is true enough in some regards. But now we tell her that she is in fact, just a recurrence of some one who died fifty years ago. But that must not even be the hardest part for her."

"Well what is it?" Inuyasha asked with his usual impatience.

"We have all been doing it," Kaede said with remorse in her tone. "When you look at her, do you not see Kikyo instead of Kagome?"

Inuyasha's eyes flicked to the floor and he did not answer. He quietly left instead.

"You need each other," Kaede said to her empty house. "If the shikon jewel is ever to be made whole again."

oOoOoOo

Kagome scrubbed at her eyes briefly as she stumbled closer to the well. She was tired and injured, in sore need of a bath and really missed eating oden. Not to mention the fact that no one here could see her for who she truly was. Mama, Souta, and Grampa were probably worried out of their minds for her, and quite frankly, so was she. The only things she'd so far accomplished here was to make the situation so much worse. Although, she had freed Inuyasha, and despite his insistence that all demons were bad had only ever managed to protect her.

"There's the well," Kagome said quietly.

Perhaps it would be so kind as to take her back home. She glanced in only to draw back again at the sight of all the bones at the bottom. 'Do I really have to jump in there?' she thought. How did that even work anyway? Could she really trust that once she landed she'd be back home?

She let her body slide down against the side of the well as she gathered her courage. 'What now?' she asked herself, staring up at the blue sky. A green leaf fluttered down near her face and with a quiet snip it came apart in two clean halves, almost like it had been cut.

Kagome sat up in alarm and winced as something sharp brushed her cheek, instantly drawing blood. "What on..." she began to exclaim, looking around. What she saw silenced her instantly. Gleaming strands wove all through the clearing and well into the surrounding forest. She thought at first that it was spider silk, but it looked too dark for that.

"It's hair!" she exclaimed.

"Oh me, oh my!" some one said. Kagome looked up and saw her.

She was very scantily clad, in a dark, and clearly modified kimono. Her hair was short and held back from her face by a red ribbon. Strands of hair were looped around her fingers, reminding Kagome oddly of a puppet master.

"You can see my hair!" the girl said with mocking astonishment. "But it isn't enough to just be able to see it I'm afraid."

"Who are you?" Kagome asked not entirely expecting to receive an answer.

"I'm Yura of the Hair," she said proudly. "Not that it'll matter for too much longer. I'm here for the jewel."

"You really think I'd just hand it over?" Kagome asked with false bravado.

Yura snorted. "Of course not," she said. "But I have no qualms about taking it either!"

The hair began to move suddenly, lashing at her body, and Kagome froze, afraid that she'd be sliced open if she moved an inch. She heard her clothes tear and suddenly, the cloth pouch where she'd been keeping the shard fragment was whisked out of her kimono and into Yura's hands. The girl immediately took it out to look and gasped at what she found.

"Oh you naughty thing!" she scolded. "Look what you've done to the poor jewel!"

"That's not yours," Kagome said quietly despite the cold terror that gripped her. "Give it back."

Yura glanced at her with dark amusement. "I don't think you'll need it anymore after this."

The wakizashi at her side suddenly flew out of its sheath and Kagome jumped back in surprise and fear, her legs hitting against the wooden edge of the well. She overbalanced and fell backwards into the opening.

"No fair, escaping!" Yura shouted.

That was the last thing Kagome heard.

Yura fished her blade out of the depths of the well and frowned when she saw no blood. She bent down and examined the bottom closely, and besides the many demon bones, it really appeared like an innocent well. The girl had simply disappeared.

"Weird."

oOoOoOo

Inuyasha shook his head trying to rid his mind of his current thoughts, but no matter how he looked at it, Kaede was right. Even he had fallen prey to the trap of seeing Kikyo instead of Kagome and he could understand why that would hurt her feelings. Was it so different to be prejudged by who you look like rather than what you were? But never mind, it would not matter in the end. Once he had the jewel everything would be alright.

He made his way into the village intent on picking up Kagome's trail. As soon as he found her they could go looking for jewel shards. Then he saw the village women and the sight stopped him in his tracks.

"Well," he said coldly. "Guess I don't have to ask what you're up to."

Their eyes were closed as if unconscious, but they floated upright about a foot off the ground and they were all armed with a bunch of different sharp objects like sickles and even kitchen knives.

They quickly surrounded him.

"You'll back off if you know whats good for you!" he shouted at them, but to no apparent effect. "Fine!" he roared sinking into a battle crouch, claws at the ready for ripping and tearing. "But don't say I didn't warn you!"

He was prepared to spring when he was stopped by a desperate cry.

"Don't Inuyasha!"

He whirled to find Kaede bleeding on the ground. It looked like she'd crawled her way there through sheer desperation. The white shoulder of her hakui was covered in blood.

"They are innocent in all this!" she cried. "You must not attack!"

"Well I'm not gonna sit here and let them kill me!" Inuyasha scoffed dodging the first swing. "You gotta better idea?!"

"Inuyasha!" Kaede cried out with new alarm. "Dodge the hair!"

"Hair!?" he shouted incredulously. "What hair?!"

'He cannot see them,' Kaede thought with a chill of despair as Inuyasha was caught in a loop that pinned his arms to his chest.  
"What the hell?!" he exclaimed as he felt his body pulled this way and that by some invisible force. He narrowly dodged a few more swipes. "Doesn't matter. If I'm tied up, I'll just drag out whoever's on the other end!"

He made a dash for it, forging ahead even as the village women became dead weight. But suddenly the force pulling at him went slack and his own momentum threw him to the ground. "Dammit!"

"Inuyasha you must escape!" Kaede shouted.

"I'm not running away!" he shot back.

The force picked him up again and slammed his back into a nearby tree knocking the breath from his lungs. Then he felt the force at his throat, it was cutting off his air supply! Inuyasha struggled with all his might as his lungs began to tighten and burn, trying to drag his claws up to slice away at whatever was strangling him and for the first time in years, he felt white hot panic rising up from his stomach. The fear was almost blinding and he was on the verge of losing control when the tree behind him suddenly came apart, in clean cuts.

Inuyasha jumped away, putting some distance between himself and what he was certain was the location of his near death.

"We must flee from here," Kaede said gravely.

"I really thought I was a goner for a minute there," Inuyasha admitted, eyes wide with alarm. "Come on, guess there really is no point in staying."

"You must go find Kagome," Kaede entreated him again. "She is your only hope of getting through this alive! She has the sight!"

"You mean she can see it?" he barked.

Inuyasha snorted when Kaede finally succumbed to the pain of her wounds, and collapsed to the ground with a whimper. He dragged her up onto his back and leaped away.

oOoOoOo

Kagome woke up to the darkness of the bottom of the bone eaters well.

"She really did fall into the well!" an achingly familiar voice said.

"I'm sure you're just imagining things," someone else said. "Look she's not..."

A beam of light shone down into the well, dazzling her, but she recognized a flashlight beam when she saw one which meant-.

"Souta?" she called. "Grampa?"

"Kagome!"

A few minutes later and with the help of a ladder, Kagome was back in her yard staring around at her modern world filled with its cars and power lines and paved streets, scarcely daring to believe that she was home.

"What's with the weird old clothes?" she heard Souta ask.

It really did happen, then. And now she was really home. The stress of her near death experiences and her hovering fear that she'd never see her family again caught up to her in that moment and she began to cry. She threw herself into her grandfather's arms and wept.

"Grampa!" she cried. "I was so scared!"

"Aaww," he crooned stroking her hair. "Kagome..."


	4. Yura of the Hair -4-

This is the end of the reserve of stuff I've had that I could just edit and post... Updates may be few and far between from here on out. But this little project has been fun so far and I promise to keep going. As always, I do not own the rights to InuYasha. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

It really did happen, then. And now she was really home. The stress of her near death experiences and her hovering fear that she'd never see her family again caught up to her in that moment and she began to cry. She threw herself into her grandfather's arms and wept.

"Grampa!" she cried. "I was so scared!"

"Aaww," he crooned stroking her hair. "Kagome..."

oOoOoOo

Inuyasha bounded through the forest following Kagome's most recent scent trail. Kaede gave a little yelp of pain as every leap jarred her injured shoulder. 'Dammit,' Inuyasha thought. 'If I keep dragging her along like this the old woman's not gonna last much longer.'

"Alright, alright!" he exclaimed after a particularly pained yelp. He stopped his flight and looked around. The loam looked particularly soft to one side of the clearing. It would be a quick job to dig a hole and hide her there. It had worked for him before so if she had the sense to stay quiet, it would work for her.

He laid her down and set to digging a hole.

"I am not dead," Kaede protested quietly.

"I know you're not," Inuyasha said, his tone laced with amusement. He found the irony of the situation rather funny. "Think of it as a hiding spot. I may even come back and dig you up again... if I remember."

He pulled her down into the shallow hole and began to bury her in the soft loam and old dead leaf matter.

"Do not forget where you have buried me!" she admonished him, a look of slight horror on her face.

Inuyasha did not answer. He as busy checking that the hiding place was invisible from most angles and that her scent was adequately disguised.

"Inuyasha!"

"Yeah, yeah fine," he said, satisfied that no one would stumble across her. "I promise."

He bounded off along Kagome's scent trail before she could say anything else.

oOoOoOo

A showered and pampered and generally relaxed Kagome sat down at her mother's table, her attention zeroed in on the meal waiting to be eaten.

"Oden!" she squeaked happily. "Oden, oden, oden!"

So intent was she on her favorite dish, that she completely missed her grandfather's assurances that the well was sealed and that nothing would come of it ever again.

"I don't think she's listening," Souta said.

"Oh," Kagome said. Her attention finally shifting to them. "What?"

Grampa stared at his granddaughter with a mixture of exasperation and hurt.

"You'll have to forgive her," mom said, joining them at the table with the last dish. "She's had a long few days."

After a short heartfelt prayer, they set in to eat.

Kagome had just finished her portion when the sliding rice paper door to the kitchen slid open with a bang. There stood Inuyasha, glaring into the room with a look of annoyance and a strange urgency on his face. His billowing red clothes and otherworldly appearance were at such odds with what Kagome generally accepted to be her normal existence that she had a moment of vertigo.

"Uh..." she hesitated, a little lost for words. "I-Inuyasha...?"

"Idiot! Who said you could go home!?" he shouted after a bit of a pause.

"But how did you-" Kagome stammered. "Where did you-?"

"Through the well of course!" he said gruffly.

"Impossible!" Grampa shouted at him. "I sealed it with my sacred sutras! No demon could possibly-!"

"I hate to break it to ya, old man," Inuyasha said without an ounce of contriteness in his tone. "But they don't work."

Gramps stared in shock as the half-demon waved one of said sutra's in his face.

Inuyasha came forward and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her up away from the table. "Come on, you, we're leaving."

Kagome pulled back hard against Inuyasha's terrible strength. "No!" she said firmly. "And you can't make me!"

"Stop right there!" mom said in her sternest voice. It was a tone Kagome knew instinctively never to ignore. She wasn't surprised at all when it had the same effect on Inuyasha. He froze instantly, only moving to look back with astonishment and slight horror.

"Now what!?"

Kagome looked on in shock as her mother waltzed right up to Inuyasha and grabbed both of his little silvery ears and started rubbing them. Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock, but he froze up and went stiff at the intrusion of his person.

"Are they real?" she asked.

Souta stood up, crowding him further. "I wanna touch'em next! Me next!"

"Mom!" Kagome exclaimed in slight horror. "Don't you think that's kinda... Oh, I wanted to do that first..."

That's when Kagome noticed the gleaming strand of hair on Inuyasha's shoulder. That looked like...

"Inuyasha," she said, the urgency in her tone cutting through the room like a knife. "Do you see that?"

"See what?" Inuyasha said. "I don't see anything."

"Its a hair," Kagome said gathering it up in her hand. The loop tightened suddenly, instantly cutting into her skin and drawing blood. "It moved on its own."

"Kagome," Grampa exclaimed in concern. "Your hand!"

"What is it!?" her mother asked, clearly shaken.

"It's right here!" Kagome said holding it up for them to see but they continued to look past it as if they could not see it. 'Only I can see it,' Kagome thought with horror. 'How can I explain something that only I can-! The girl with the hair! Oh no!'

Kagome bolted out side, running across the yard and heading for the well house. She threw the wooden doors open, and sure enough, thick locks of hair flailed and flapped out of the opening of the well as if blown by some kind of wind.

"Hair!" she exclaimed, looking on in horror. "Lots and lots of it!"

"The old crone was right," Inuyasha said.

Kagome turned to see him lounging in the doorway.

"You _do_ have the sight."

Kagome balled her fists and glared at him. "This is your fault you know!" she told him. "The hair followed you through the well!"

That's when Souta and Grampa caught up with them.

"Kagome," Gramps shouted.

"Are you alright?" Souta asked.

Kagome backed into the well house and slid the doors shut. It chilled her blood to think that a threat from beyond the well could possibly reach her family. "Don't come in here," she warned, feeling slightly ill. Was nowhere safe? 'I've got to stop it from coming out,' she thought turning to stare hard at the writhing mass of dark hair.

Suddenly it attacked and she dodged out of the way barely making it as the hair struck the wall where she'd been standing. It bounced off shooting for Inuyasha instead.

"In front of you!" she shouted, hoping he would trust her, and defend himself.

"Where?" he asked. "Here?" Inuyasha made a swipe for it but missed.

His ears twitched as he heard it coming for him and he tried to leap out of the way, but three locks caught his ankles and his right wrist, binding him tight.

Kagome was dimly aware of her Grandfather pounding on the door and shouting for her to open it. Her mother's voice soon joined his. Inuyasha was able to free himself by swiping blindly at the forces pulling at him. He landed and backed off, but his efforts had not made any progress. Kagome watched in dismay as the locks simply came back together again as if they'd never been cut.

"It regrows even cut!" Kagome said in warning, this was far from over. "And there's so much of it!"

A lock whipped out and caught Inuyasha's wrist again, just as Kagome caught sight of one thick gleaming strand of hair. "That's it!" she shouted. "That one strand of hair controls it all!"

She stood up from where she'd crouched near the door and ran down the steps, pointing to the main strand.

"Here! Do you see it?" Kagome asked him. "Cut this one right here!"

"Which one?" Inuyasha grunted, still pulling against the locks wrapped around his limbs. He made a few blind and completely wild swipes. "This one?"

"You really can't see it," Kagome said, her voice filled with dismay. "There's got to be a way."

She reached up and grabbed the main strand, pulling it down and wincing as it cut her skin. Blood began to run along the hair, making it visible to anyone. "Right here!"

"I see it!" Inuyasha shouted triumphantly. He lunged forward and swiped, breaking the strand. Kagome winced again as it recoiled like a rubber band, sliding trough her grip and slicing her hands further. She stood there rubbing her sore hands as the locks finally went limp and fell, lifeless. The clumps disappeared with a faint hissing noise.

"It stopped," Inuyasha said quietly.

Kagome turned to stare at the well with concern. 'That's not good,' she thought. 'Yura's already got my part of the jewel. So why'd she do this? Unless, its me and Inuyasha she's after!'

"Let's go!" Kagome said approaching the well, surprising even herself with the amount of determination she was feeling. Yes she was still afraid, but she had to stop Yura at all costs. If that demon got a hold of Souta... This could never happen. "Right now!"

"Huh?" Inuyasha turned and stared at her. "I thought'cha didn't wanna go back."

"I don't," Kagome confirmed. "But I have to."

His golden eyes widened with surprise. "Wha...?"

'Mama, Souta, Grampa,' she thought staring down into the depths of the well. 'If I stay, they'll be in danger.'

Suddenly, something warm and soft landed on her head and shoulders. She looked to discover that Inuyasha had taken off his red suikan and had draped it over her. She looked up at him, but he was looking straight ahead, his expression grim.

"It's made with hair of the fire rat," he said, his usual bad temper missing. "You'll have _some_ protection at least."

Kagome looked down at the red material curiously. Protection? Against what? It looked like simple cloth, but then, the way Inuyasha was being right now was almost... nice. She did not want to ruin it by asking questions.

"Oh, thank you," she said instead.

Inuyasha tossed his head defiantly. "Well if you weren't so weird looking you wouldn't need it," he griped.

Huh, so much for keeping the peace...

"That's a little rich coming from you, dog boy," Kagome snipped at him.

"Yeah, yeah whatever," Inuyasha said, brushing off her comment like he'd already heard it before. He approached the well and did a standing jump onto the edge. "Ready?"

Kagome climbed up onto the edge with him, "Mmmhmm."

He grabbed her by the arm and they let themselves fall into the depths of the well. "I think that Yura girl is after us," Kagome said as the energy of the well engulfed them almost warmly and set them down.

"Be careful," Kagome said at once glancing up at the web of hair woven through the well. "There's hair inside here, too."

"Yura?" Inuyasha asked as he grabbed her and jumped up to the edge of the well. "You saw her? Why'd she be after _us?_ "

Kagome pulled herself up so she could see over the edge. "Well duh!" Kagome told him. "Why else would she attack us if she already has my piece of the jewel?"

"Your piece of the-!" Inuyasha shouted, sounding like he'd blow his top soon. "How did that happen?!"

Kagome ignore him. It didn't matter now that Yura had the shard. They needed to concentrate on getting it back, that was all. She scanned the forest from the safety of the well, observing the chaotic weave of Yura's hair. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the placement of it. Not that it mattered too much with the quantities.

"I can see a lot of hair out there," Kagome said. "But all we need to worry about is the main one. If we follow it, it'll lead straight to her, I'm sure of it." At last she spotted a thicker, gleaming strand. "There!"

Inuyasha climbed out of the well. "Got it," he said. He stooped slightly in front of her. "Get on, we'll be faster this way."

"Okay," Kagome said climbing out of the well herself. Inuyasha remained stock still for her and she somewhat hesitantly reached for his shoulder. Last time he'd offered there'd been no time to think about this. Interacting with Inuyasha normally, Kagome had instantly picked up on the fact that the young man kept his distance from people in general. It was a clear sign of distrust that had been built in and enforced for all the years of his life. It made him seem like a wild creature; untouchable, and fierce. She had to brush his silver hair out of the way with a few hesitant strokes and she couldn't help but marvel at how soft it was. His white Kosode was warm with his body heat as she set a hand on his shoulder.

He backed up suddenly and startled her when he reached back and grabbed her legs, pulling her up onto his back bouncing once on his feet to settle her. Kagome leaned forward, lightly grabbing his shoulders, uncertain of the placement of her hands, all the while fighting off a blush. She'd never been carried by a guy like this before, she knew it was out of necessity, again, but still. The high school girl was not blind, Inuyasha was the kind of guy who would have screaming, squealing fan girls trailing after him wherever he went. She almost laughed, he'd hate every minute of it, and here she was getting a piggy back ride from him. If only Ari, Yuka and Ayume could see her now...

"Hold on," was the only warning she got before he took off, and she had to scramble a little to keep her seat. He ran faster than any mortal man could go with a hundred and ten pound girl on his back, and after two hills he still wasn't winded. Kagome would have admired his strength openly, but it occurred to her that this was probably normal for him (minus the girl on his back). She had a bit of a panic when he approached a river without slowing, but before she could say anything, he bounded over it like it wasn't even there.

Kagome put her head down on his shoulder for a minute with relief, and suddenly registered his scent. He was like rain and young grass, with the darker dustier scent of tree bark. He smelled like a forest on a sunny morning. She was so absorbed in her new discovery that he startled her again when he spoke.

"A bonfire."

Inuyasha landed in the camp sight in a crouch, letting Kagome stand. It looked like a fight had broken out and they had all killed each other with their own weopons, except...

"Where are their heads?" Kagome asked, horrified. She'd seen corpses on tv before, it was kinda different in person. The smell of blood was thick. It was sickening. Come to think of it, no heads meant no agonized expressions, frozen that way as their souls passed. That made it easier to cope somehow. 'Just don't think about it,' Kagome told herself.

"Hhmmm," Inuyasha grumbled, a low growl hidden in that sound. He stepped forward, examining the bodies not looking particularly disturbed or broken up about it. Kagome figured she shouldn't be surprised at his nonchalance. He'd obviously seen a lot. "They're guys from the village," he said. "Or their bodies anyway. Looks like their tops came clean off."

He was right. Their other wounds were messy and jagged, but it was a very clean cut at the neck. What could cause such a clean cut? Even a sword couldn't quite accomplish that. Unless... Yura's hair cut that clean... Kagome turned her eyes away from the bloody scene and caught sight of a bow and quiver full of arrows.

Inuyasha turned away decisively, clearly done with his little investigation and caught sight of her kneeling.

"Now what's the matter?" he snapped. "I better not hear you say you're scared, or you wanna go home."

Kagome grabbed the weapons, angered at his mocking tone. They were the only ones she was certain she could use.

"Actually," she said showing him her find. "I thought I'd borrow these." If they did not stop that demon, even more people were going to die.

Inuyasha pulled her up onto his back again and took off. "You're not gonna hit anything," he said. "So why bother?"

"I just need practice!" Kagome informed him tartly, she'd had lessons, it had just been a while and her skills where rusty.

"Practice?" Inuyasha scoffed. "Don't you mean learn?"

"I was in archery club in middle school, you know!" Kagome said proudly. "That was only three years ago."

"Archery club?" Inuyasha asked dubiously, eyebrow raised in disdain. "What do they have a club for eveything in your time? Like Swordsmanship club? Or, I don't know, how bout 'don't belong anywhere clubs?'"

Kagome bit her tongue. It would not help her situation if she told him the truth. No doubt, there probably were clubs for people who felt they did not belong. Inuyasha sighed and stomped out of the ruined camp sight, but not before a small glimmer of respect entered his golden eyes.

"Come on," he said. "That jewel shard's not gonna find itself."

Kagome climbed up onto his back again, directing him along the main hair. The general net of hair around them was getting thicker fast now.

"Be careful," Kagome warned as Inuyasha made a jump into a small valley, framed by a hanging escarpment. "I think we must be getting close."

No sooner had Inuyasha flicked an ear in acknowledgment, when they were set upon by thick locks of hair that leapt at them as if it had a mind of its own. At first, Kagome was able to shout directions to Inuyasha and he had enough time to strike or dodge, but then three attacked at once.

"There's too many!" Kagome shouted in dismay.

"Not helping!" Inuyasha shouted back and began making blind wild swipes. A lock caught him by his left wrist and yanked him into the air with such force that Kagome lost her seat and hit the ground rolling a bit down the slope. She pushed herself up just in time to see another lock catch one of his ankles, effectively restraining his movement.

"Inuyasha!"

He hung suspended from the cliff edge and a few of the surrounding trees in the clearing spread-eagle but, it brought Kagome's attention to the large neatly knotted ball of hair behind him in the distance. It was huge and mainly black and gleamed like a healthy head of hair should. It was also hanging between the cliff, but the trees around it bowed and strained under the weight. The thing was impossibly huge, and impossibly round.

'So much HAIR!' Kagome thought in alarm. 'But then... could this be Yura's base, hideout, thing?'

Yura herself showed suddenly much to the girl's dismay. The demoness came flying out from (behind? inside? Kagome could not tell) the ball of hair, flipping once then landing on a line of her hair like a trapeze artist. She looked mighty pleased with herself.

"Oh me, oh my," she crooned. "Look at the prey my hair has caught!" The line she stood on bowed suddenly, lowering her to a kicking struggling Inuyasha.

"You're Inuyasha aren't you," she said conversationally.

"And you're Yura of the Hair," Inuyasha said, his tone dripping with repressed rage. He had stopped fighting the locks that held him for now. "How'd ja you know me?"

Yura smiled condescendingly at him. "You've gained quite a reputation among the demons, you know," she said teasingly. "Inuyasha," her tone had turned mocking. "The half-breed who acts as a lap dog for a reincarnated priestess. We also know you intend to gather the shards of the sacred jewel."

The news seemed to catch Inuyasha by surprise and Kagome winced. 'Half-breed? Lap dog...?' she thought. ' _He_ doesn't think that... does he?'

"I'm that klutz's _lap_ _dog_?" Inuyasha shouted indignantly. "I don't answer to _anyone!_ "

"But that's just it," Yura continued on as if he'd never spoken. "I'm also going after the shikon shards, which means you'll be interfering with my plans." She smiled, taking her recent find out from where she'd hidden it on her person.

'That's the shard she took from me,' Kagome thought.

"I think I'll just kill you both now," Yura informed Inuyasha. "That way, I can collect the shards at my leisure."

"So, you're gonna kill me," Inuyasha grunted, suddenly pulling his arms together gaining enough leeway to shred the hair at his right wrist. "Heh, you'll see. I'll make you regret ever coming _near_ me!"

With that he lunged, taking a swipe at her, but she sprang away, propelled by her hair, and, whipping out a red comb, brushed more thick locks into existence. The new locks immediately sprang at Inuyasha's limbs, restraining him, this time another yet around his chest.

"So annoying!" Inuyasha raged, pulling and tearing at his new set of ties.

Yura had drawn her kodachi. "I guess it'll take more than hair to kill you," she said as her hair brought her into striking distance. "Won't it!" The kodachi flashed out into a downward stroke across Inuyasha's chest.

Blood instantly welled up from the clean slice wound. Kagome's heart was in her throat, but Inuyasha hadn't even flinched.

"Heh, nice sword ya got there," Inuyasha said calmly, despite the blood quickly staining his white kosode.

"Thank goodness," Yura said, equally casual. "I don't know what I was going to do if it didn't cut you." She then ruined the civility of the moment by licking Inuyasha's blood off her blade, tasting it, almost daintily with her tongue.

'What is it with villains and licking their daggers?' Kagome thought with horrified disgust.

"My beloved blade," Yura explained. "Beni-Gasumi, or Crimson Mist if you'd like. A demon's _treasure_. It cuts flesh and bone, without damaging the hair." She prepared for another swing. "In other words, I can chop you up while keeping you tied!"

The demoness was about to carry out her attack when an arrow whipped past, right in front of her cute button nose snapping several hairs on the way, but the destruction did not stop there. Each hair struck withered and sizzled out of existence.

'My hair was destroyed!' Yura thought indignantly as she sought out the archer. 'Oh, archer-ess.'

Kagome stood, somewhat precariously on the slope leading up to the escarpment, bow still angled towards the demoness. Though she was draped in a strange red garment, Yura still recognized her as the girl who'd disappeared down the bone eater's well.

"Take this!" Kagome shouted, releasing a second arrow.

Yura jerked back hard to avoid the viciously hissing projectile, and hissed a little herself. "You're actually kind of a nuisance aren't you, girl."

But all further action halted as they all turned to look at the sudden violent clattering at the other end of the valley. Kagome's second arrow had flown unintentionally true, striking the great ball of sleek hair and vaporizing the outer wall of it. Violent quantities of hair tumbled from the hole, strung all along with skull, after skull, after human skull. It was a macabre sight indeed. The hair was strung in through the back of each skull and out again, parting through eyes, nose, and grinning jaw, with the occasional exception of a skull with its hair still attached.

Yura looked absolutely horrified, her dark eyes wide with shock. "My trophies!" she squealed,

putting her hands to her cheeks.

"Oh, there they are," Inuyasha said darkly as he spotted the heads of the village warriors, whose camp they'd stumbled into just minutes before.

Kagome swallowed thickly. At least they didn't look like they were in pain. They were just sort of blank. Lifeless... Dead.

Yura dropped down quickly to Inuyasha's level and she got into his face. "Your head will have the honor of joining theirs soon enough," she informed him levelly.

"Oh?" Inuyasha challenged quietly.

Kagome shook her head in admiration. He was bleeding and captive, and still managing to be defiant. Such courage ought to be respected.

Yura reached forward, further invading Inuyasha's space and captured a lock of his own gleaming silver hair, letting it wind through her fingers.

"All this beautiful hair," Yura crooned. "And it'll be mine to control."

Inuyasha merely continued his defiant stare as she pulled away. "But first," Yura said, her tone hardening. She lifted the red comb in her hand and Kagome tensed, sensing trouble coming her way.

Yura slashed the red comb across her body in Kagome's general direction. Strands of flaming hair shot out surrounding the girl and Kagome thought she was going to die as the flames raced towards her. They struck and Kagome crumpled down against the sloping ground with a shriek of fear, waiting tensely for the pain to start.

'It doesn't hurt,' Kagome thought distantly. 'I always thought burning to death would hurt...' Then she looked down at her hands. The flames roared, inches away from her skin, but did not touch. Come to think of it. The fire was not touching her anywhere at all. She was still alive, unharmed, if uncomfortably warm. The flames leapt and danced all around her, slowing gradually until they died down entirely. The girl slowly stood up, turning her hands over in awe. 'I should be dead,' she thought. 'How am I not dead? Why am I not dead? I mean DEAD... dead. How...?'

She was jerked out of her thoughts however at a cry of dismay. Looking up just in time, she watched Inuyasha disappear into a mass of hair and skulls. Some indiscriminate shouting on both sides followed. Inuyasha was clearly hard pressed.

"Yura thinks I'm dead," Kagome suddenly realized, and began to look around furiously for some way to even the odds. "All her attention's on Inuyasha, which means I'm free toooooo..." Her eyes landed on the hanging fortress of hair. Perhaps there was something in there precious to Yura. Kagome swallowed in dread. "It means I'm free to climb the hair with the skulls in it... great..."

Kagome quickly made her way over to the hair ball, taking pains to stay quiet. It was difficult to ignore Inuyasha's occasional cry of pain. A particularly loud cry forced her to look. The fight had cleared the hair and skulls. Inuyasha was on his knees with the blade of the kodachi sticking out through the front of his chest. Yura's arm was missing, but she didn't look concerned. The kodachi pulled free, revealing the location of the demoness' hand, and Inuyasha yelped falling onto his hands. Yura took the sword from her disembodied hand, and the separated grasper flew back and caught Inuyasha's mane of silver hair lifting it. Yura drew back for a killing blow. Kagome, heart in her throat again, took a step forward in vain. There was nothing she could do at this distance. But then Inuyasha lunged, there was a spray of blood as his clawed hand protruded from Yura's back.

Kagome stumbled back in surprise. No, Inuyasha was just fine... 'He did it, it's over! No... wait...' Yura stumbled back, and pinned Inuyasha's hand to the ground with her blade. 'Okay... keep climbing!' She turned and grasped the hair again, pulling herself up a little farther, chancing to look back at the fight. Yura, was looking straight at her. 'Times up!' she thought, fear lending her speed. The hair jerked underneath her and Kagome shrieked in surprise, but the structure held, and she kept her hold, continuing her climb. Time was of the essence now, if she was going to save Inuyasha.

That's when she saw it. There, nearly hidden in the mess, was a bright red skull. Kagome pulled an arrow from her quiver and struck the skull. It did not break with the first strike, nor the second, nor the third, but a hefty forth strike did the trick. The skull came apart all at once, and the arrow suddenly meeting no resistance also broke the red comb that had been hidden inside.

Kagome turned to see the result of her work, only to find Yura, staring at her in shock a startling three feet away. The eyes of the demoness glazed over and her form crumbled into black dust leaving only her clothes and hair ribbon behind. That is of course when all the hair fell in a lifeless heap, taking Kagome with it. The girl shrieked in surprise at the abrupt fall, but hair makes a soft landing and she was completely fine.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome shouted as she disentangled herself from the slowly disintegrating hair.

"Kinda... busy," he called back, sounding somewhat breathless.

"Oh thank goodness," Kagome said back, pausing to collect the wayward jewel shard from Yura's clothes. "I was kinda worried. You took a lot of hits back there. Just how strong are half-demons anyway? Do we need to be worried about you? Or should we just clean you up, put a bandage on it and call it good?"

"I'm... fine!" he grunted back, sounding aggravated as he struggled with something.

"Okay," Kagome said, getting up to join him on the low rock ledge, he and Yura had been fighting on last. "Bandages it is the..." She trailed off as she finally laid eyes on him. Inuyasha lay on his back, pinned there, by the kodachi Yura had left driven into his right shoulder. He was struggling to free himself by pushing the blade away with his left hand, using the cross guard as leverage, but the blade was just long enough to give him trouble.

"Oh..." Kagome said coming to kneel by his side. "Hold on, let me do that."

"Don't touch-!" Inuyasha snapped, and she hesitated, glancing at him. He lay there, glaring up at her with clear distrust.

Kagome lowered the hand she'd reached out. "You don't think I'd hurt you more do you?" she asked. "I just want to help you."

"That ain't it at all," he grouched. "And I don't need help from _you_ anyway." He reached out again with his left hand to push clumsily at the cross guard, but it was beyond his fingertips now. Kagome reached out and took his hand in her own. Inuyasha glanced at her, startled. She gently moved his hand back down to his chest, resting it there. Taking the hilt of the sword in both hands, she counted to three, and pulled. The blade came away clean and Inuyasha immediately sat up, curling inward around his latest injury. That's when Kagome put it together. There was not a single scratch on her, and she was wearing his suikan. The thing really _was_ some type of magical armor and he had given it up at a severe cost to himself.

"This is all my fault," she said quietly, looking at all the bloody stains in his white kosode. Each one marked the location of a wound.

"Feh, don't worry about it," he said, not looking at her. "Where's the jewel shard?"

"Its here," Kagome said holding out the cloth pouch.

Inuyasha slowly and painfully pushed himself to his feet, left hand clutching his right shoulder. He looked out over the sea of skulls.

"I broke a red comb that I found inside a red skull," Kagome said. "And she just... disintegrated."

"That's why I couldn't kill her," Inuyasha said. "She placed her soul in that comb. It was probably used to brush the hair of the dead. More likely, that comb was _using_ her."

Kagome glanced back to where she'd left Yura's empty clothes. How poetic that the puppeteer had in fact only been a puppet herself.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said. "Let's get out of here."

Kagome glanced at him and smiled, wondering if she should point out his use of her name or not. She slid herself gently under his right arm, helping to support him. He tensed for a moment but did not pull away.

"I need to go home and tell my mother I'm alright," Kagome informed him. "You should come with me. I'd love to introduce you properly, now that we have time." It also helped that her mother was a former trauma surgeon, and would not flinch at treating these injuries.

"Why not," Inuyasha said. "We should go past the village first though. I have a promise to keep."


	5. Promise

Heya folks. Given the different flavor this story already has, I felt this little scene was necessary. We'll be delving a little deeper into the heart of our favorite half demon and really seeing just how much feudal Japan has affected him. Progress will be gradual of course, and a lot of head canon will be coming out to fill some holes, just a warning. Events will deviate from the original Anime/Manga sometimes darastically, lets find out how much! As always, I have no rights to Inuyasha. I hope you all enjoy this little tidbit!

oOoOoOo

"I need to go home and tell my mother I'm alright," Kagome informed him. "You should come with me. I'd love to introduce you properly, now that we have time." It also helped that her mother was a former trauma surgeon, and would not flinch at treating these injuries.

"Why not," Inuyasha said. "We should go past the village first though. I have a promise to keep."

oOoOoOo

Passing through the village was interesting. Kagome for one had no idea that the villagers had been caught in Yura's trap and used as puppets. The moment Yura had passed, the possessed villagers had been freed. They had all woken up, armed with different sharp tools, in places that made no sense. Many had been frightened out of their wits by the experience, but they were well on the way to recovery when Inuyasha and Kagome reached the outskirts of the village. Kagome had helped Inuyasha back into his suikan to hide the many cuts and stab wounds he had sustained, before they made themselves known to the general public.

It took some explaining before they were able to recruit some men to follow them to where Inuyasha had hidden Kaede, and Kagome got a first hand experience of the general distrust Inuyasha was treated to every day. It was frustrating to watch. When it came out that Kaede was injured, the half-breed was immediately blamed and Kagome had found it necessary to step in and quell the reflex anger that was quickly mounting.

"Why would Inuyasha hurt Kaede and then come back and tell you about it if he was really at fault here?!" she'd shouted at them. "Didn't I just tell you we fought off the demon responsible for the scare earlier this evening? She was the one responsible for Kaede's wounds! If Inuyasha _hadn't_ been there, this village wouldn't have a priestess! He saved her life! So if anyone still wants to string him up for this, I suggest you shut up before you make even bigger fools of yourselves!"

The crowd had dispersed after that, and a few willing men stayed to follow them to where Kaede remained hidden. Inuyasha was strangely quiet on the walk to the priestess's hiding place. Perhaps it was the presence of the men, or was it the accusation he'd found in the village? Kagome sent him another worried glance as they walked. He'd just been getting it from all sides tonight. Yura'd had something nasty to say about him, and then the villagers. Not to mention they were off to rescue somebody who didn't even like him. Kaede had made it pretty clear that she very much resented Inuyasha for Kikyo's death, and as much as Kagome could sympathize, Inuyasha hadn't spoken a word of his side of the story. There was more going on here than had been said, and the girl truly believed that if it all came to light, Inuyasha would be exonerated from much of the blame.

Inuyasha pointed the men towards the hiding place of a supremely annoyed Kaede, but he and Kagome did not stick around to see her unearthed. They continued on to the bone eater's well, dropping wearily into its darkness. The power set them down five hundred years in the future, in a well lit well house. They climbed the ladder to find Kagome's mother slumped tiredly against the base of the well.

"Kagome!" she said at once. "You had me extremely worried young lady!" Despite the fierce, lecturing tone, the lady pulled her daughter in for a tight hug.

"I suppose I have you to thank for getting her home safely," she told Inuyasha.

He turned away scratching at his neck, suddenly bashful at the unaccustomed praise. "S'no big deal," he murmured.

"It is a big deal!" Kagome said pulling out of the embrace. "Mama, he fought so hard! And he still got hurt pretty bad."

"Hey!" Inuyasha shouted, his head coming up sharply with indignation. "Where do you get off, telling complete strangers about my business!"

"She's not a complete stranger, she's my mom!" Kagome argued back, leaning forward with her hands on her hips. "And she can help patch you up by the way!"

"Well I didn't ask her to!" Inuyasha griped.

"Alright you two," mom said in a tone of warning. "There's no call for that kind of bickering. Kagome, it was rude of you to blurt that out without consulting him first. And Inuyasha, you could lighten up a bit, she was just trying to help. Now both of you apologize you're both at fault for this little spat."

The thoroughly lectured pair, glanced bashfully at each other with murmured, but contrite apologies. Mom clapped her hands together once with a smile. "Now that's over, why don't you come inside. Its late Kagome, and you should be off to bed. As for you Inuyasha, I hear you got hurt?"

oOoOoOo

Kagome, much to Inuyasha's amusement, was sent to bed like an errant child, while he was treated to a cup of hot tea. Mom sat down next to him on the couch. "So I gathered you had a fight against some kind of hair demon?"

"Yeah, that Yura," Inuyasha said. "She was a real piece of work. Killed some men from the village-." The half demon cut himself off without going into detail. It didn't seem right to talk about such a horrible thing to such an obviously kind lady. "Anyway, she wont be troubling anyone now."

"When Kagome first returned, she told us a story about a broken sacred jewel," mom said. "I take it all that is true?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha said. "She took it really hard, blamed herself. I never told her otherwise, but it really was just a freak accident." The half demon grumbled and shifted uncomfortably for a minute. "Guess I have more apologizing to do..."

Mom let that go without saying anything, but the comment had earned him a stern look. "In anycase," she said, moving on. "I gather Kagome will be going with you often to the past to fix the jewel."

"Yeah," Inuyasha said. "She's the only one who can sense the shards. I'll be the one doing the heavy lifting and actually getting them back."

"So there will be fights in the future," mom said and Inuyasha tensed slightly as he suddenly saw where she was going with this line of thought. He was about to interrupt with a defensive comment, but the lady raised her hand. "And Kagome will be in danger." She continued to gaze at him daring him to say otherwise.

Inuyasha was unable to deny the truth. This mission they were on would undoubtedly be fraught with danger. So he merely nodded, his eyes shifting away from that piercing gaze.

"I see," was all she said for about a minute, then, "Inuyasha?"

He looked up at once. "Yes, ma'am?"

"If Kagome is to continue going through that well, into your time, I want you to promise me something."

Inuyasha had learned to be wary of making promises. As a half demon who had little else to his name besides the honor and quality of his word, he was reluctant to enter into any promises he could not keep. "And what would this promise be exactly?"

"I want you to put Kagome's safety above your own," she said. "She's just a human girl, she doesn't have your strength, and I want you to promise to protect her."

Huh. Well that was simple enough. He should have known really. Of course a mother would want to know for certain that someone was looking after her child in a dangerous situation. His own mother especially would have... Regardless, it was a promise he could keep and even respect.

Inuyasha slid off the couch and bowed respectfully to this clearly worried mother. "I promise to protect Kagome with my life. She will always make it back home, no matter what."

He was about to rise again when he felt the lady's hand on his head, right between his ears. It was a light touch, an affectionate touch, an unfamiliar touch. He froze beneath it, uncertain how to react. That hand moved, stroked his cheek and found a place under his chin and lifted with gentle pressure until he was once again looking into Kagome's mother's eyes.

"You're a good boy, aren't you," she stated. There was no mockery, no irony, no deception. It was a statement of praise, pure and simple.

Inuyasha felt warmth flood his soul. Such praise was rare and quite valuable to a lowly half-breed. The fact that it came from such an unbiased source meant even more. That and... He looked away, standing to sit back down on the couch. She was still smiling at him, dark eyes filled with a mother's simple love. Dammit if she didn't remind him of his own mother...

"It's late," mom said quietly. "And you've had a long day. Would you like to stay in our guest bedroom?"

'This truly is a different world,' Inuyasha thought. 'Where even a half-breed is readily welcomed as a guest.'


End file.
